punish you, if you neglect it. And why is it so generally neglected, but because men do not seriously consider how great it is? Most men acknowledge that it must be done; but, because they look upon it as that which may speedily and quickly be dispatched, they drive it before them from day to day, and think to huddle it up at the end of their lives: then, when they are fit for no other employment, and least of all fit for this employment, then they think to do the works of God.

I shall here lay down Three particulars, to convince sinners of the greatness of this work: and, because it is so great a work, it requires that they should presently, without delay, set upon it. 1. It is a work, in which sinners must undo all, that they have wrought in their whole lives before.

O Sinner, think: What hast thou been doing, this twenty, thirty, forty years, or more? hast thou not, instead of working out thine own salvation with fear and trembling, been working out thine own condemnation without fear or trembling? hast thou not been working the works of darkness? hast thou not been working the works of thy father the Devil, as our Saviour tells the Jews? Truly, this is not so much working, as making of work: all this must be undone again, or you yourselves must be for ever undone: you must unrip and unravel your whole lives, by a deep and bitter repentance: you are gone far in the way, that leads to death and destruction; and you must tread back every step, and at every step shed many tears, before ever you come into the way that leads to life and happiness. And is it not yet time to begin? can the work of so many years be undone, think you, in one moment? no: Sin and Satan make their works more durable and lasting, than to be so easily and speedily spoiled. It were the work of an age, yea of eternity itself, if possibly we could so spend it, rather than of a few faint late thoughts, to get an humiliation deep enough and a sorrow sad enough, to bear any the least proportion to any of the least sins that we have committed. Do not hope or think, that your many great and sinful actions shall ever be blown away with a slight and general confession; or that ever they shall be washed away with a slight and overly repentance. What says holy David? Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: Psal. Ivi, 8: thou hast my wanderings, by number; but thou hast also my tears, by measure: there must be some proportion betwixt the humiliation and the sins: great sins call for great sorrow; and long continuance in sin requires a con

tinued and prolonged repentance. Is it not then yet high time to begin? have you not already made work enough for your whole lives, should they be longer than they are like to be? Nay, and will not every day of your lives make work enough for itself? what says our Saviour? Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof: Mat. vi. 34: truly, the evil, that we every day commit, is sufficient work for the sorrow and repentance of that day to undo. Now, then, begin this undoing work: the longer you delay, still the more will lie upon your hands; still, the more sins you have to repent of. We already complain, that the work, which God hath set us, is too hard and too grievous; and yet, such foolish creatures are we, that we make it more and more difficult by our delays; adding to the strictness of God's commands, the necessity of a severe repentance. And therefore it is prudence, as well as duty, to begin this repenting, this undoing work betimes; that so, the greatness of the work, and the shortness of the time to do it in, may not at last dismay and confound us.

2. Consider the great variety of duties, that must be gone through, in the working out of salvation; and this will evince how great a work it is.

A Christian's work is a life full of actions and employments. There should be no gap nor void space at all in it; but all should be filled up with duties, ranked in their several orders; thạt, as soon as he passeth through one, he should enter upon another, that where one leaves him another may find him. Thus a Christian should go from one duty to another: from hearing the word, to meditation; from meditation, to prayer; from prayer, to the acting of grace: and, in all, there should be much striving and struggling with the heart, and much carefulness and circumspection over the way and life.

Now there are Four great and usual Duties, which every man hath to do; which are enough to fill up all the time of his life, were it stretched and tentered out to the end of our time.

(1) He is to get the truth and reality of grace wrought in him. This is his first and general work. And this will cost a man much sweat and anguish: for this, he must suffer many pangs and throes of the New Birth; and shall lie under many fears and jealousies, lest hypocrisy and presumption should cause him to mistake in a matter of such infinite concernment.

(2) He is to draw forth and to act this grace, when once it is wrought in him.

This is the next work of a true Christian; continually to act faith, love, patience, humility, and to let all have their perfect work. And there is no moment of a man's life so idle, but all may administer some occasion or object for the exercise of grace.

(3) A Christian's next work is, continually to grow and increase in grace.

To go from strength to strength: to be changed from glory to glory. Still to be adding cubits to his spiritual stature, till he is grown to such a height and tallness in grace, that his head shall reach into heaven, and be crowned there in absolute perfection, with a crown of glory and immortality. Here is that work, that will keep you in employment all your days; and, if you can find one spare minute in your whole lives wherein you have not some duty to perform, then give over and sit still.

But, besides all this,

(4) Another work of a Christian is, earnestly to labour after the evidence and assurance of grace in himself. Give all diligence, says the Apostle, to make your calling and election sure.

Still, a Christian must be ascending: ascending, from a probable conjecture, to a good persuasion; from a good persuasion, to a full assurance; from that, to a rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

These are the general works, that should take up the lives of Christians: and to these are subservient almost an infinite number of particulars; some whereof are means whereby these great things are obtained, others are concomitants or the effects and fruits of them: but I will not so much as mention any of them

now.

For shame then, O Christians: since that your work is so great, why will you sit still, as if you knew not how to employ yourselves? Besides, there is great variety in your work; and this usually breeds some kind of delight: you are not always to be toiling and drudging at the same thing; but, as bees fly from one flower to another and suck sweetness from each of them, so should a Christian pass from one duty to another and draw forth the sweetness of communion with God from every one of them.

3. To evince the greatness of this work, consider, it is a work, that must be carried on against many encounters and strong oppositions, that a Christian will certainly meet with.

Within, are strong corruptions: without, are strong temptations. You have a treacherous and deceitful heart, within;

and

this traitor holds intelligence and league with your great enemy, the Devil, without. You are sure to meet with difficulties, affronts, and discouragements, from a peevish ill-conditioned world in which you live. Never any yet could escape free to heaven, without meeting with these things. And doth not all this call upon you to work and strive for salvation? Is it a time to sit still, when you have all this opposition to break through; so many temptations to resist; so many corruptions to mortify; Satan, that old serpent, to repel, and make him become a flying serpent? Doth not all this require a morose constancy; and a kind of sour resolvedness to go through the ways of obedience, notwithstanding all opposition? These great things are not to be achieved, without great pains and labour. And, therefore, if you resolve to do no more than a few heartless wishes, no more than a few more heartless duties, will amount to, never raise your expectations so high as salvation: for, let me tell you, salvation will not be obtained at such a rate as this: no; there must be great strugglings and labour, with earnest contendings, if ever you intend to be saved.

And, thus much, for the First Argument, taken from the consideration of the Greatness of the Work: to work salvation out, is a great work and requireth great pains.

ii. But, lest the setting out of the greatness of this work should rather deter and fright men from it, than excite and quicken their endeavours to it, let me add a Second thing: and that is, to consider WHAT AN INFINITE, INCOMPARABLE MERCY IT IS, THAT GOD WILL ALLOW YOU TO WORK FOR YOUR LIVES; that he sets life and death before you, and gives them into your hands to take your choice.

If you will indulge your sloth, then you choose death; but life may be yours, if you will. It will, indeed, cost you much pains and labour; but, yet, it may be yours. And is it not infinite mercy, that salvation and happiness may be yours, though upon any terms?

Wicked men are apt to say, "Oh, how happy had we been, if God had never commanded us to work; if he had never required from us such harsh and difficult duties; if we were but once free from this hard task and heavy burden of obedience!?? But, alas, foolish Sinners! they know not what they say: as

happy as they count this to be, yet, if God required no working from them, he should then shew them just so much mercy as he doth to the devils and damned spirits, and no more; from whom God requires no duty as well as from whom he receives no duty, and unto whom he intends no mercy.

You think it a hard restraint, possibly, to be kept under the strict commands of the Law: "Oh, that God required no such observances from us!" but what do you desire herein, but only the unhappy privilege of the damned; to be without law and without commands? But, should God send to the spirits now imprisoned, and declare to them that if they would work they should be saved, oh! how would they leap in their chains at such glad tidings; and count it part of salvation, that there was but a possibility of it! No, but God commands nothing from them, because he intends nothing but wrath upon them: he will not vouchsafe so much mercy to them, as to require those duties from them, that you repine and murmur at as grievous.

And, furthermore, consider this: if you do not now work, but perish under your sloth, in hell you will think it an infinite mercy if God would command you more rigid and severe obedience, than ever he commanded from you on earth. It would be a great mercy there, if it might be your duty to repent, and pray, and believe. Nay, you would count a command then, to be as comfortable as a promise; for, indeed, there is no command but connotes a promise. No: but these things shall not so much as be your duty in hell: for there you shall be freed for ever from this rigorous and dreadful law of God, that now you so much complain of and murmur against.

Oh! therefore be persuaded, while you are yet under the mercy of the Law, (give me leave to call it so) and while you have so many promises couched in every command, before God hath left off his merciful commanding, before the time of duty be expired, be persuaded to work. Delay not: you know not how long God will vouchsafe to require any thing from you; and, as soon as that ceaseth, truly you are in hell.

And this is the Second Argument to press this duty upon you. Work, and that speedily too. While you may work, there is hope, that, upon your working, you may be saved. And, therefore, while God calls upon you, and whilst he will accept of obedience from you, it is time for you to begin to work,